a little brake dust, different sides of the car...
probably no one will ever notice

 

Tires make a huge difference in the steering load for parking. I had 165 x 15 Michelins and FR 60-15 BFG TA's on my 145. The much wider TA's were easier to turn at low speed.

But living in the 'burbs, I can't remember the last time I had to parallel park. Well, actually, it was my wife's Camry, but she was in the driver's seat and I was in the passenger's seat. Turning the steering wheel the correct direction made all the difference.

 

Great car! I also agree, just put the wheels on opposite sides in the closest color matched pairs and you'll forget they aren't matched. We even used to have a guy in the C70 forum that had silver wheels on one side and gold on the other. Nobody ever really noticed until one user asked if he was swapping wheels all the time. He got a great deal on them or something, but grew to like it.

I'm noticing your grille is relatively straight and in decent shape. It's very easy to bend it when leaning over to work on the car. I highly recommend removing it before any big job where you have to lean down into the engine bay. I wish I had on the ones I've owned. I've ruined more than one before I realized what was happening.

 

Thanks for the tip about the grille!

 

The wheels are sandblasted. 3lbs of Porsche Grey powder coat will be here next week.

 

That's awesome. Following to see the result and eye candy. I loved Virgos and always wanted a set on a 140/240. IPD used to offer knock offs years ago. Do they say Volvo on inside face or not?

 

Yes (photo was before blasting)

 

Things are getting serious. I found a cheap 1968 parts car. It is mostly rusty junk and has no engine, but it has some parts that I want like the wheels & hub caps (I'll use one as my spare), fender badges, passenger side mirror, a straight rear bumper, interior parts, good glass, and a complete roof if I want to swap that.

 

Careful - you might end up with TWO wagons you're running. I see that and think it would be great to add a motor and get it back on the road.

Things are getting serious. I found a cheap 1968 parts car. It is mostly rusty junk and has no engine, but it has some parts that I want like the wheels & hub caps (I'll use one as my spare), fender badges, passenger side mirror, a straight rear bumper, interior parts, good glass, and a complete roof if I want to swap that.

View attachment 294726

 

I thought you already had some replacement alloy wheels? Be aware that the original steel wheels on a 1971 are really strong and really really really heavy.

Unless there are other issues with the roof, a roof swap would seem like a very radical solution to fixing the holes in the existing cars roof. I can see lots of opportunity for things going south in terms of aligning all the cuts.

 

Yes, the nice alloy wheels will go on the car. I want the stock wheels so I can carry a spare. And I agree, cutting the roof off would be a last resort if the roof on the car can't be fixed.

 

I found my fuel pump leak. The inlet hose barb had a bad seal. I replaced it with a new fuel pump and replaced the fuel filter while I was at it. Mileage is guaranteed to improve.

 

Ditch the cheese grater hose clamps. They are meant for garden hoses and chew up the outside jacket of the fuel line. You want banded fuel line clamps which sell for about the same price; but, do not wreck your fuel lines.
6 pk Fuel Injector Hose Clamps

Ditto if you are using garden hose clamps on the cooling system hoses. You can get proper banded clamps or Jubilee brand clamps which do no chew up the hoses.

 

I was very stoked when I finally got to use these ABA Swedish clamps on my Swedish car

 

I got the 1968 145s parts car.

First piece taken off (missing from driver side of the blue car):

 

I kinda really want that grille. It’s so iconic.

 

I got the sway bars off the parts car this morning. The front is 1" and the rear is 3/4". The blue car has a 5/8" front sway bar and no rear sway bar. I just hope my new muffler doesn't interfere with installing the rear sway bar. It is going to be close.

 

The passenger side mirror was missing. Not anymore. Thanks, parts car!

 

Mirrors were dealer fitted which is why the position of the mirrors is variable. A passenger side mirror was optional.

According to the parts manual the 145 never had a rear anti sway bar. 1" front and 3/4" rear may be an IPD ASB kit. The rear ASB can rip right out of the floor pan if you try to corner fast. Later ASB kits from IPD included two large steel plates (about 100 mm x 100 mm) to be welded or bolted to the floor where the ASB links are attached. Check for those plates on the donor car or fabricate a pair if you plan to use. 5/8" was probably the OEM size on the front on the 140.

If you do fit the larger sway bars I might be interested in purchasing your 5/8 bar and links / hardware for the front. As long as your chassis number is 105017 or less it should match up with the 142 ASB. 145 chassis 105018 has a different front ASB. I have IPD ASBs and want to get rid of them. Unfortunately I threw the original ASB in the trash when I rebuilt the car. I have shorter / stiffer springs and the mungo IPD ASB is unnecessary for street driving with the stiff springs - i.e. makes street driving on bumpy streets misery.

 

There are steel plates for mounting the rear sway bar through the floor. I might make new ones.

If I decide to get rid of the 5/8" ASB I will let you know.

 

All hail the parts car. Your sacrifices are not in vain.

 

The glove box was also missing. Parts car to the rescue!

 

Interesting accumulation of debris in the parts car. Home to some rodents for a while?

 

It was definitely a rodent food stash. More concerning are the wasps that attacked me from under the dash while I was getting the glove box latch!

 

When I got the car, the electric fan was wired to a switch under the dash. I didn't think much of it until I went out of town last weekend and came home to the fan running with the car off. I rewired that to ignition power, but then the fan was always on with ignition. So today I replaced the entire electric fan controller relay and thermostat switch.

 

I got the Virgo wheels put on the car today. It immediately drives nicer, and I love the way they look. A million times better than the 17" junk wheels that came on it.

 

I am jealous.

 

More parts pulled off the parts car

 

Some parts from CVR showed up. New springs all around, clutch cable, factory match spray paint, and a steering gear repair kit. Can anyone tell me how to install the steering gear repair kit?

 

I put the new rear springs in today. There was an inch of washers stacked on top of the driver side spring, I assume to level the car. That side is still slightly lower than the passenger side (less than 1/4"), but I can live with that.

 

I am not familiar with CVR's specific kit; but, the other kits that I have seen require a machinist to press out the old and press in the new bushings. The bushings must be reamed to fit the shaft by the machinist.

Pull the box apart and inspect the worm and sector gear for damage. No point is pending $ on bushing replacement if the worm and sector are damaged.

 

Thanks. That is the same information others have told me about the steering repair kit. I am going to continue looking for a shop that can rebuild the box for me.